Hernias

Did you know that it is very common for preemie babies to have hernias? Well, I didn’t but I sure learned.

When Drake was 6 weeks old he was well on his way to going home. Nurses made whispers of how he may go home soon with how well he was eating. Suddenly Drake started throwing up all he ate and then stopped eating. His stomach quickly became distended. This happened in a matter of hours. The staff was baffled. They put him back on IV feedings and worked to figure out what was happening. We were all very scared and worried. I was on my way into the hospital when I got the call that they were considering the possibility of him having NEC. I knew NEC was bad and could be deadly so I was terrified. I raced the rest of the way there in tears. In the short time it took me to get there, Drake’s left testicle had become enlarged and bright red.

Everyone was excited because the problem revealed itself. He had a hernia! However, they were all very concerned and rushing to get the surgeon in to see him. This was also very dangerous, but they were happy they at least knew what they were dealing with. What Drake had was a strangulated hernia. His intestines had pushed through into his testicle and twisted. Since the intestine was twisted it would not allow his food to pass through. This was also very dangerous because it cuts off the blood supply to the intestines.

The surgeon assessed and confirmed the hernia and that he would need emergency surgery. As they prepared him to leave it was some of the hardest times for us as parents. I knew it was bad when we had a majority of the nurses in the row all gathered around me and some in tears themselves.

Off to surgery Drake went and I had to go pump….how fun! Did I mention this all happened on my husband’s birthday?

Anyhow, luckily Drake went through surgery fine and the intestines looked healthy still. Unfortunately, he did lose a testicle due to damage caused by the hernia. There are several types of hernias that can happen with preemies and girls are not excluded. With their bodies not fully developed they can’t support the pressure of crying, coughing, pooping, etc. Hernia can appear in several parts of the body.

Drake also ended up with an umbilical hernia. This is a hernia that occurs in the belly button. This occurs when the umbilical ring, where the umbilical cord went through doesn’t close allowing a hernia to occur. Luckily this hernia did not get stuck and it did not require surgery. It was just weeks of a very large outie belly button and eventually it got smaller and smaller and went away. We just had to keep making sure it was able to be pushed back in, which was quite interesting let me tell you.

Drake will always have an outie belly button because of it but we’ll take it.

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Comments

Thanks for sharing! My daughter was a 24 weeker & came home on oxygen. She was home alittle over a month and just cried for 4 days. We took her to the doctor & he found a hernia in her groin. I then had to rush her back to her NICU hospital to see a surgeon. He confirmed a walnut size hernia & pushed it back in her. It took about 10 minutes of her in a full fledge cry ‘& screaming fit but she was so happy afterwards. Since Oct it has popped once more but we caught this one & the ER got it back in in 30 seconds. She has been off oxygen since christmas which means she can now have surgery. Feb. 9 we go. Poor babies! These children have encountered more than babies should!! Your little one is SO adorable!!

Thanks Amber! He is my little miracle, upon a miracle, created by a miracle. I wish you well on your surgery. Will say a prayer for you guys on the 9th. Although I am sure it will go smoothly, surgery is surgery and is never fun.

My son (26 Weeker) 1 lb 7oz had an umbilical hernia and an inguinal hernia. He had to have surgery on the ingunial hernia at 5 months of age 2 months after being discharged from the nicu…..The umbilical hernia just went away on its own

Yup. Ella, my 29 weeker, had an umbilical hernia which wasn’t a big deal but then she got a…I can’t remember what it was called but a hernia in her groin. Her ovaries had “dropped” and herniated. They had to go in and fix both ovaries and while there were in, they did the umbilical one as well. My 34 weeker also had an umbilical hernia but it resolved on its own.

Yes,my 2nd preemie Braeton(34wkr) had both an umbelical hernias and inguenal (sp?) which were lower. They fixed both and he hasnt had any complications from either. His belly button is just slightly an “outie” but is perfect (& cute) to me. Thanks Dr.Keller & all at SLCH-you ALL are AMAZING!!

I had twin sons at 27 weeks, a little over 2lbs each. One of my twins had 2 hernia operations, one week apart and the other boy didn’t have any. The first hernia operation, he was sent by ambulance to a Children’s Hospital for the surgery.

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PreemieBabies101 is Hand to Hold's parent blog inspired by the many diverse experiences that are common to parents of preemies. If you have a preemie or a baby who spent time in the NICU, a child with special needs or a loss - we want you to know that you are not alone. Join our supportive community and connect to parents who share similar experiences to your own, arm yourself with information to properly care for your child(ren) and your family, and find inspiration and hope when you need it most.

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